To determine the best discriminative items for identifying young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), we conducted a secondary analysis using longitudinal cohort data that included the Japanese version of the 23-item modified checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT-JV). M-CHAT-JV data at 18 months of age and diagnostic information evaluated at age 3 or later from 1851 Japanese childr...

Before becoming aware of a visual scene, our perceptual system has organized and selected elements in our environment to which attention should be allocated. Part of this process involves grouping perceptual features into a global whole. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) rely on a more local processing strategy, which may be driven by difficulties perceptually grouping stimuli. W...

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is among the most widely used scales assessing autistic traits in the general population. However, some aspects of the AQ are questionable. To test its scale properties, the AQ was translated into Swedish, and data were collected from 349 adults, 130 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 219 without ASD, and analysed with Rasch. Several scale properties of th...

We re-evaluate conclusions about disfluency production in high-functioning forms of autism spectrum disorder (HFA). Previous studies examined individuals with HFA to address a theoretical question regarding speaker- and listener-oriented disfluencies. Individuals with HFA tend to be self-centric and have poor pragmatic language skills, and should be less likely to produce listener-oriented disf...

Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI®) is a cost effective, research guided, intervention approach for remediating Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The purpose of RDI® is to develop intersubjectivity, the agreed upon core of autism’s social and communicative deficits (Baron-Cohen, 2000). Intersubjectivity encompasses joint attention, social referencing, theory of mind, social reciprocity...

There is considerable evidence that maternal postnatal psychiatric disorder has an adverse influence on infant development. In attempting to examine the pathways of intergenerational transmission, most research has concentrated on genetic factors or on maternal behaviours during motherchild interaction and attachment. However, researchers have largely ignored the possible role of maternal cogni...

To the Editor: Recent outbreaks of illnesses that may be prevented by vaccines have increased public debate about vaccination behaviors (i.e., whether or not and when parents choose to vaccinate a child), and California has been a key affected state. One reason that parents choose not to have their children vaccinated is the perceived link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder. This rea...